Combined game-board and man or game-piece receptacle.



' No. 724,760. I I '7 A "PATENTED APR. 7,-1903.

H. VAN ALTENA. COMBINED GAME BOARD AND MAN OR GAME PIECE REOEPTAGLEP APPLICATION FILED 0014,1902,

N0 MODEL.

"fl/2 1045111114 mm ma NORRIS PETERS cu, PuoTqu'mou WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY VAN ALTENA, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

COMBINED GAME-BOARD AND MAN 0R GAME-PIECE RECEPTACLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1 \l'o.' 724,760, dated April 7, 1903.

Application filed October l, 1902.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY VAN ALTENA, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, New York city, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'a Combined Game- Board and Man or Game-Piece Receptacle, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a combined game-board and man or game-piece receptacle for use in playing chess, checkers, &c., of an extremely simple and cheap ,form of construction, so made that the same may be folded into a small compass for carriage and that while in such folded formit will constitute a closed receptacle for the reception of the men or other movable pieces used in the game. q

To such ends myinvention consists, in substance, of a board formed of a single sheet longitudinally scored or of a plurality of strips of stiff card or other board cemented or otherwise firmly secured toa backing of flexible material, such as cloth, so that the strips will be hinged together at the scores or at the point of separation, the bounding-strips on two of the opposite sides being narrower thanthe central strips and forming an ornamental space or border for the central portion, on which is formed the game-field design, a like border being formed on the ends of all the strips, so that the squares or, other working markings of the board are inclosedwithin the border so formed, cords or tapes woven through the narrow border-strips and over and under the ends of all the strips, so as to bind the same together without disturbing the flexibility of the device, end caps or covers, usually of pentagonic form, adapted to fit over the ends of the hollow prism formed by the folded board, so as to form a closed receptacle for the men or pieces used in the game, and means for securing such caps or covers in such position. I r

Said invention is fully shown and described in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, wherein similar numerals of reference designate like or equivalent parts wherever found throughout theseveral views, and in which I Figure 1 is a View in pers'pective of my improved game-board and game-piece recepta- Serial No. 135,937. (no modeLl the line m m and looking in the direction of the arrow.

While such game-board and receptacle may be used for 'many games, I have shown in said drawings the board of the common form, used for chess and checkers and shall so describe the same, without intending, however, to limit myself to such form of marking, nor, infact, to the exact construction shown and described, as many modifications thereof may be made without departing from the scope of my invention.

Referring tothe drawings, my said combined folding game-board and game-piece receptacle when of the chess and checker board form of'marking shown is composed of eight strips of card or other suitable stiff resilient board11, each of which is provided on one side by painting, printing, or any other desired process with four white and four black or otherwise dilferently distinguished square 12, which are arranged alternately as to color, so as to altogether form a game-field design, as shown in Fig. 3, or other distinguishing marking, and each of such strips is provided ateither end with an ornamental end strip 13, usually ofabout one-half the size of the black and white squares, .which latter are of course arranged alternately between such end strips in the well-known manner, as shown. Consequently such eight strips 11 when arranged side by side will form a chess or checker board, as shown in Fig. 3, and to add to the ornamental effect and also toassist in holding the same together without interfering with the smoothness of working the two outer strips are each bounded on the outer edge by a narrower side or border strip 14 of the same width and design as is the border formed by the end portions 13 of the strips 11, and all of said strips are secured firmly inposition by being firmly cemented or glued to a backing 15, of stout cloth or other suitable fabric,

which may also be provided on its outer side chess or checker men 19, and in order to sewith any suitable game-ground plan or with any suitable purely ornamental device (not shown) as may be desired. Sometimes this backing may consist merely of narrow strips at the edges, and in others the hinge may be formed by one surface of a single sheet of cardboard properly scored in parallel lines, and I consider any method of forming a gameboard with hinges, so as to permit the single sheet of board of which the same is formed to be folded or rolled into a prismatic form, to be within the scope of my invention. In any event, in order to more firmly secure the strips or portions between the-scored lines forming the board together a suitable double cord or tape 10 is passed around the end of one of the side strips 14, and usually through a hole 16, formed therethrough, the top end of which is then passed down and the lower end up between such side strip and the adjacent strip 11 through a hole 17 formed through the backing-sheet 15 to receive such two ends, thence over and under and alternately up and down between the different strips through similar holes in the backingsheet to the other side of the board, and the two ends of all the strips having been thus served and the ends of the cords firmly secured together it will be seen that the same will form a stout yet perfectly flexible hinged connection between such strips, which will prevent the same from being torn loose from the backing-sheet 15. In some cases instead of passing the single strands of the double cord clear over and under the ends of the strips 11 such strips may be provided with one or more holes 17, one of which is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and through which the cord may be passed, thus making two or more loops of the cord to each strip 11, and in some cases when such holes 17' are provided only one cord may be used; but I prefer the construction I have shown, but consider all of them within the scope of my invention. Usually the cord used for this purpose is of some bright color in order to add to the artistic and ornamental efiect of the border, and when such is the case in order that the border shall be the same on all sides of the square the side or border strips 14 are provided with perforations 18, registering with the adjacent divisional lines between the squares 12, and one cord only is used, which, starting at one corner, is threaded up and down clear around the board--at the ends through the holes 17 of the backingsheet and at the sides through the perforations 18 of the side or border strips let-after which the ends are secured together in position in any desired manner and the board is in a condition for use. When so formed, when rolled upon itself the board will most easily and naturally assume the pentagonal prismatic form shown in the end view, (marked Fig. 2,) and within theinterior of this pentagon will be ample room for the storage of the cure such men therein the ends of the pentagon so formed are covered by suitable caps or covers 20, also of like pentagonal form in cross-section, which are secured in position in any desired manner, and such caps may each be used as a receptacle for the gamepieces or men captured during the game.

In some cases and for the purpose of further strengthening the device the backingsheet 15 is made snfiiciently larger than the finished board is to be to permit of the same being turned up around and over the ends of the strips 11 and over the outer edges of the side or border strips 14, so as to form a strengthening border-strip 22, as shown in Fig. 3, all around the board on the upper side, the same being firmly glued or cemented to the face of such board and that portion covering the ends of the strips 11 being, of course, slitted between the same, as shown at 23 in said Fig. 3, at the ends of the longitudinal strips, so as not to interfere with the free action of the hinge formed by the cord or cords 10.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

1. A game-board formed of hard stiif sheet material provided with a game-field design so made as to be capable of being folded into the form of a hollow prism to form a receptacle for the game-pieces or men used therewith, and two caps or covers for capping the ends of the prismatic receptacle so formed, substantially as shown and described.-

2. A folding game-board comprising a plurality of board-strips provided with a suitable game-field design secured together at either end by connections forming hinges between the strips which entirely surround the ends of the strips, substantially as shown and described.

3. A folding game-board comprising a plurality of board-strips provided with asuitable game-field design, secured upon a flexible backing, an end portion at either end of each of the strips not included in the game-field design, a border-strip, and a securing cord or cords securing all the strips together at the ends, the edges of the backing extending up over and being firmly secured to the face of the circumferential edge of the board so formed, substantially as shown and described.

4. A folding game-board comprising a pluralityof board-strips provided with a suitable game-field design, secured upon a flexible backing, an end portion at either end of each of the strips not included in the game-field design, a border-strip, and a securing cord or cords securing all the strips together at the ends, the edges of the backing extending up over and being firmly secured to the face of the circumferential edge of the board so formed, the turned-over portion being slitted between the strips, substantially as shown and described.

5. A combined game-board and game-piece receptacle comprisiuga board formed of a plu- In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed rality of board-strips provided with asuitable my signature in the presence of two wit-p l0 game-field design secured upon aflexible nesses. backing and end covers or caps adapted to g 5 cover the ends of the hollow prism into which VAN ALTENA' i the board may be folded, of the same form as Witnesses: the prism formed by the folded board, sub- G.'L. DAVIS,

stantially as shown and described. I-IELEN' WEOHSLER. 

